The former Duke of York, 65, is believed to have paid Giuffre £12 million ($23 million) to settle the case after she alleged she had been forced to have sex with him on three occasions, beginning when she was 17. Andrew has always denied the claims, and the settlement included no admission of liability or apology.
Reports suggest Queen Elizabeth contributed £7 million toward the agreement, with an additional £3 million coming from Prince Philip’s estate a year after his death. King Charles is said to have provided £1.5 million. The remaining balance was reportedly covered by other members of the Royal Family, despite Andrew maintaining that he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.
Minimising the Scandal
It has been claimed that senior royals were eager to bring the lawsuit to a close to limit further damage to the monarchy ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations later that year.
According to The Sun, Andrew has not “repaid a single penny”.
“They bankrolled his payoff to his accuser Virginia Giuffre. They bought his lies and helped him try and make the problem go away,” a source told The Sun.